Lessons learnt

[Citizen]

Please don't think I am trying to teach anyone how to suck eggs here, I am just hoping someone can learn from a relative novice and avoid my mistake that came about due to complacency creeping into my brewing practice.

What was a normal Saturday & Sunday brew session a month ago but with a mixture of sloppy sterilisation and bad luck resulted in the loss of 2 x 23ltr AG brews.

It has made me rethink the whole process and I thought if sharing these lessons learnt stops one brewer loosing a brew to infection then it`s worthwhile.

OCD style sterilisation and lots of Star-San (I use Malt Miller no rinse sanitiser which seems fine) to anything that contacts the wort after boiling, even down to the scissors for cutting a yeast packet.

Boil the chiller in the wort for the last 15 minutes to sterilise it and cool the wort in the boiler (I had the bad habit of putting the chiller in the FV to cool)

Dismantle and clean taps, little bottler nozzles, rubbers on Grolsch style bottles basically any nook and cranny bacteria can hide.....and cause the pic below :sad:

However this morning I have kegged and bottled the best part of 60 pints and after weeks of cleaning and a nervous brew 2 weeks ago, finally the brewery is running again :. Cheers all

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Please don't think I am trying to teach anyone how to suck eggs here, I am just hoping someone can learn from a relative novice and avoid my mistake that came about due to complacency creeping into my brewing practice.

Any feedback that could save another member having to throw 23 litres of anything has got to be worth reading. :thumb:

 

[Slid]

Try the Craig tube videos for a practical demonstration. Craig looks pretty normal for a HB fanatic and he sets a decent benchmarch for me.

Craig washes his stuff in Star San and I prefer to store clean equipment with Sodium Metabisulphite solution, rinse and then spray everything in sight with Star San. I also spray can openers, knives used for getting stuff out of cans and scissors, but appreciate that this may seem a bit OTT.

Star San is Fairy dust for home brewers :thumb:

But this gives a good idea of how to approach things

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfXlwhg9eeg[/ame]

 

[Fil]

Sorry Slid i gotta disagree with wet storage, best imho is to clean, dry well, and store kit unsealed and open to the air, yes dust and all sorts may drop on it, but on the way back into a brew cleaning again before sanitation isnt a bad habit.


wet/damp storage can backfire especially if using something non persistent like videne or metabisulphate, and starsan can make silicone go slimey if left in contact long term.

aside - as a teen i would clean holiday houseboats/barges between lets, the fridges would get a good wipe down internally with bleach but if left closed over a weekend would often develop anaerobic smelly cultures inside..

even domestos only claims a kill of 99% of known germs.. chemical sanitation isnt as effective as heat treatment..